There is the belief that all bathrooms in China are bad.
This isn't true.
Most are not 'bad,' but the ones that are, are very bad indeed.
Most places have the single hole in the floor, but the hole is made of
porcelain or stainless steel. In the newer restaurants, malls, or
hotels, there is usually a choice between this style and the Western
throne style. If a bathroom is old at all, there is no choice. Old means
only 5 years.
There is always a bathroom attendant that keeps things clean and
they do a good job. The 'bad' comes in places like truck stops or
remote tourist stops where the attendant can not keep up with demand,
or there isn't one. There is usually a bucket sitting in a corner and I
have seen women fill it and swosh it into the stall. People just take care
of things. This happened yesterday in a good mall washroom, and I just
assumed that this was a standard practice for this woman.
It is customary that every Western woman will have one unfortunate
experience while learning to navigate the demands of the bathrooms.
Believe me when I say, it will only take one experience to learn how
things work. After months, however, I did have a surprise. While turning about,
I stepped into the hole with one foot and since I am not flat footed, my foot
went down the hole up to my ankle. Yes, only a few know that I
am that uncoordinated. After the initial shock and the rush to rinse off
my shoe, I joined Don and we had a good laugh. All you can say, standing
there with a wet shoe and a wet pant leg, is, "The funniest thing just happened
to me!"
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